1) Why are you running?
As a current Councillor, I am running for mayor because in this term we have completed steps and strategies to lay a foundation for a sustainable future. With community input we created a plan to manage our growing community. Next, we have actions to accomplish that are measurable, accountable, and balance economic prosperity with community well-being and environmental resiliency. I ask for the opportunity to serve as a leader in that momentum for the next four years. During this Council I have demonstrated leadership as the Chair of Finance,
Administration and Legal Services, Vice-Chair of Grey Sauble Conservation Authority and Chair of Council Advisory Committees, and I am ready to step up to the new role. I come home each night to why I am running: my mother, my son, and his family. I am thinking each day about how to best meet the needs of our seniors, my son’s generation and how to provide opportunities for my grandson to live, play and work in our community in the next decades. It is crucial that we continue the progress of these last four years to create a sustainable future for all ages and stages of life in The Blue Mountains.
2) Are there any steps municipalities can take to help ease cost of living concerns?
To alleviate the cost-of-living concerns of residents, we have carefully controlled taxes while delivering services efficiently over the past four years. We need to continue progress made on promptly capturing missing assessment such as the $581 million found over last three years, which led to $1.6 million in tax savings to existing taxpayers.
Supply chain issues and rising insurance costs for municipalities are presenting challenges that will need to be solved by improving efficiency and looking for sources of revenue beyond our residential taxbase. The cost-of-living concerns means housing more than ever needs to be only up to 30% of a household income to allow for the rest of expenses. This means we must continue to challenge developers to build a mix of housing options attainable for different income levels and support the Blue Mountains Attainable Housing Corporation (BMAHC) as an advocate, catalyst, and provider of Attainable Housing.
3) What are your ideas for economic development in your municipality?
We need to continue our new 2021-2025 Economic Development Strategy such as promoting local businesses through the Business Enterprise Centre and the Explore Blue website and supporting new enterprises and innovation. This plan aims to enable business growth with strategic partnerships, community development including quality of life improvement while minimizing risk factors. This plan will provide the roadmap we need into the next term of Council because its steps are measurable and accountable. We also need to address the need for new employment land use which is currently short in supply. Finally, we have an agricultural heritage that has been nimble to adopt new practices to improve efficiency and deliver local food. Our Town’s strategy recognizes this innovation and works with our agricultural partners.
I support this ED Strategy is because it outlines the need to support economic development with a sustainability lens. It is like a 3-legged stool balancing economic sustainability with sociocultural and environmental sustainability. If you are missing one, the other two can’t stay standing. A good example in our bold actions of our Sustainability Plan is to expand initiatives for a green circular economy and opportunities to grow local food such as expansion of community gardens.
4) Do you think the municipality has a role to play in the recruitment and retention of
physicians and other healthcare workers?
Yes, absolutely. During this term, I was the Council representative on the Joint Municipal Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee, working with colleagues in neighbouring municipalities to explore regional solutions. I have also recently visited outstanding health care models such as the South East Grey Community Health Centre in Markdale and believe we need to learn from that model.
I have been met future doctors about to graduate who love the area and everything it has to offer to set up a practice here, but they tell us they cannot afford to live in The Blue Mountains. If their a spouse needs to find a new job to relocate here, they have young children and a student debt load, they can’t find an option for housing that is attainable. We therefore as a municipality need to keep pushing for a mix of housing to match income levels across the spectrum. We need to work with existing clinics or adopt new models within our municipality to welcome new nurse practitioners and doctors. Our new Campus of Care micro-community project also includes attainable housing for the staff who will provide healthcare in the campus Long Term Care facility and retirement living options.